


love is kinda crazy (with a spooky little girl like you)

by whaticameherefor



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty is a BAMF, F/M, Halloween, Haunted House, Jughead is a good sport, Meet-Cute, Once again I take a prompt and run away with it, but also kind of a scaredy cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 16:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16371185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whaticameherefor/pseuds/whaticameherefor
Summary: Jughead always thought that falling in love would feel like a punch to the gut. It didn’t, of course. It was more like a punch to the face. Right in the nose, to be exact.





	love is kinda crazy (with a spooky little girl like you)

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to @kmlefev and @paperlesscrown for just being the magical goddesses that they are and tossing around this prompt that I subsequently took upon myself to write because let's be real, I have zero self-control.
> 
> Muchos love to @squids and @redundantoxymorons for the quick beta <3

Jughead always thought that falling in love would feel like a punch to the gut. It didn’t, of course. It was more like a punch to the face. Right in the nose, to be exact. 

 

He was working the Halloween haunted house at Southside High for some extra cash and, despite having to sit through an hour of makeup application and another half hour of removal each night, he was really enjoying getting to scare the living daylights out of little kids. 

 

He had just made a group of wannabe, tough guy middle schoolers nearly piss their pants and he chuckled all the way back to his starting point. 

 

“You’re one sick dude, Jones,” his friend, Fangs, laughed at the retreating forms of the tweens.

 

“Come on, this is the only perk of the job!”

 

“You’re gonna love the next group,” Fangs said in a sing-song voice as he exited through the cafetorium door. “Northsiders.”

 

Jughead grinned as he adjusted the beanie on his head and glanced down at his zombie biker costume to make sure everything was still in place. This was going to be good.

 

Instead of the group of preppies he was expecting to walk through the door, a lone blonde girl stepped into the room timidly. Her face was darting all over the place, presumably trying to anticipate the next scare. She looked frightened already and he almost felt bad for what he was about to do.  _ Almost.  _ But that was the point of a haunted house, after all.

 

He crouched behind the section of scattered, overturned tables and chairs and waited for her to approach. As soon as she crossed the line he used as his cue, he sprang up with a growl. 

 

But before he could get out the garbled “ _ Braaaains _ ” that usually accompanied his act, he heard a crack and felt a sharp pain in his nose, blood spilling down his face immediately. His hands flew up to try to collect the fluid that was flowing freely.

 

“Oh my god!” the girl cried as her hands covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…”

 

“Holy schnikes,” Jughead cursed, tilting his head back to try to stem the steady stream of blood.

 

The girl’s face contorted in confusion before she dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Did you just say holy  _ schnikes _ ?”

 

Jughead glared at her, which was fruitless because the room was far too dark, but it made him feel better anyway.

 

“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she collected herself, stepping closer. “I got separated from my friends and I  _ hate _ being scared, I don’t know why I let them talk me into this, and you were just really scary…”

 

“Kinda my job,” he retorted, cutting off her rambling.

 

“I know, and again, I’m  _ so _ sorry.” She stepped closer again, clearly nervous and contrite, as she reached semi-blindly in the darkness toward his face. “Will you let me look at it?”

 

Jughead sighed. He didn’t really know anything about first aid and he supposed it was the least she could do. “Alright, fine. Follow me, I guess.” 

 

He turned toward the exit, pushing open the doors with one hand as he continued pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. In the light of the hallway, he glanced back at his attacker and almost stumbled over his own two feet. He was struck by how beautiful she was, her hair pulled up into a perky ponytail, dressed in a baby blue sweater and jeans that fit her perfectly, with shining green eyes he could see himself happily getting lost in.

 

Before long, they arrived at the nurse’s office. He reached out for the handle and tried turning, but the door was locked.

 

“Of course,” he grumbled.

 

“Here, let me,” she sidled up to him, pulling what looked like a bobby pin from the back of her head. He watched as she brought it to her lips to bend it open and he had to force himself to look away before his mind started to drift. 

 

She fit the pin in the lock, jiggled it a bit, and grinned as it clicked open. He must have looked impressed because she rolled her eyes good-naturedly and explained, “I learned it from my Nancy Drew detective handbook.”

 

They walked into the room and she started to look around for a first aid kit. “Sit,” she commanded and he made his way over to a chair. She found the box quickly and dragged another chair over to sit in front of him, opening it to survey what she had to work with. “My name is Betty, by the way.”

 

“Great, now I can identify my assailant when I make an official police report.” Her head snapped up, eyes wide, but her face relaxed when she saw the smile plastered on his face. “I’m Jughead.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” she said with a small smile as she lifted a piece of bundled gauze to his nose to soak up some of the blood. 

 

“I wish I could say the same,” he teased and was satisfied with the laugh that sprung from her lips in response.

 

“I can’t tell what blood is real and what’s your makeup.” Her hands came up to cup his face, angling it to get a better look. He tried to keep his eyes away from hers but he couldn’t fight it anymore. He let his gaze fall to her eyes and her movements stilled. He felt like he couldn’t breathe and he was pretty sure whatever he was feeling, she was too, but she cleared her throat and turned her attention back to his nose.

 

“I really am so sorry I hit you. It was a reflex.”

 

“Maybe a haunted house isn’t the best place for you to be.”

 

“I know,” she sighed. “I didn’t want to come, but my best friend dragged me out on a double date tonight and I guess my date thought it was hilarious how scared I was, since he decided to abandon me.”

 

“Oh,” he was surprised by how disappointed he sounded, but quickly pushed the feeling aside. “He sounds like a jerk.”

 

“You’re not wrong,” she said with a smile, digging through the kit. “Even before that, it was turning out to be the worst date ever.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry your evening sucks.”

 

“It’s not all bad.” Her hands settled on the sides of his nose and after feeling around gently, she declared, “I don’t think it’s broken, and the bleeding stopped, but you’ll probably have some bruising.”

 

“I love a good battle wound.”

 

She laughed as she gathered the used gauze and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. “You’ll have to come up with a good story to tell your friends.”

 

“What’s better than a pretty girl punching you in the face and nursing you back to health?”

 

Betty wiped her hands together, turning away slightly to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. Jughead grinned, knowing that he’d been responsible for that. He wasn’t sure where this newfound confidence was coming from, but he found himself asking, “What are you doing after this?”

 

“Nothing.” She bit her lip and looked back at him. “Why?”

 

“I was thinking you could buy me a milkshake at Pop’s. You know, to make up for almost breaking my nose and all.”

 

“That sounds fair. But don’t you have to get back?”

 

“Nah, I think I’ll call it a night. I’m sure my boss will understand, after the trauma I’ve suffered.”

 

“Has anyone ever told you that you’ve got a flair for the dramatic?”

 

“Duh,” he grinned, gesturing to his costume. “Why do you think I’m working the theatre department’s haunted house?”

 

“Morbid curiosity,” she deadpanned, closing the first aid kit with a flourish and stashing it back where she found it.

 

He stood up and followed her out into the hallway, locking the door behind him. They walked in silence, stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. As they reached the lobby, a petite brunette came barreling towards them, capturing Betty in a crushing hug.

 

“Oh my god, Betty, there you are! We were so worried about you!” 

 

“I’m fine, V, nothing to worry about,” Betty replied when she pulled back.

 

“Archie almost throttled Reggie when we realized you’d gone missing. I don’t know why he thought that Neanderthal would be a match for you.” She stopped and turned her head toward Jughead, eyebrow raised. “I see you’ve made a friend.”

 

“Oh yeah,” she glanced quickly back to him. “This is Jughead.”

 

The girl extended her hand and Jughead shook it reluctantly. “Veronica Lodge. Charmed, I’m sure.” She took a step back and gave him a once over. “What happened to your face?”

 

“Betty punched me.”

 

Veronica’s jaw dropped, but she quickly shook her head and righted herself. “Betty!”

 

“You have no one to blame but yourself,” she joked. 

 

“Yes, my face is terrifying, I’m shocked I’ve gone this long without a beating.”

 

“Happy to be the one that delivered the first blow.”

 

“As much as I’m enjoying whatever this is—” she waved her hand between the two of them, smirking “—we should really be going. Smithers is waiting outside, we’re going back to my place for a nightcap.”

 

Jughead braced himself, certain Betty was about to back out of their plans.

 

“Oh, actually, we were on our way to Pop’s. I promised Jughead a milkshake. For the bodily harm I’ve caused.”

 

“Don’t forget about the damage to my fragile male ego.”

 

“Oh,” Veronica considered him. “Did you want us to come? I’m sure Archie wouldn’t mind—”

 

“No!” Betty answered quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Jughead just smiled. “I mean, that’s not necessary. We’ll be fine. I’ll call you later, okay?”

 

“You better.” Veronica pulled Betty in for another hug and whispered something in her ear that made her gasp and smack her friend’s shoulder lightly. Veronica spun around and headed back in the direction she came from as Jughead and Betty set off for the diner. 

 

“So, how are you feeling?”

 

Jughead thought for a moment. How  _ did _ he feel? Nervous, a little bit sick, and kind of shocked, if he was being honest. Still, he was overwhelmingly excited about the prospect of spending more time with Betty. It took him a beat to realize she was referring to the injury he’d sustained and he shrugged. “I’m great.”

 

“Really? If you’re in any pain, we can ask Pop for something when we get there.”

 

“I’m fine, Betty. I promise.”

 

“Are you sure? You’re not saying that to make me feel better? Because I still feel really bad.”

 

He stopped and she turned to him with a confused look as he reached out tentatively and took her hand in his. She looked down at their intertwined fingers and then back up to his face. He stepped closer and when she did the same, he boldly brought his other hand up to her cheek. 

 

Betty licked her lips anxiously as her gaze stayed firmly locked on his mouth. Before he could lose his nerve, he pressed his lips to hers. It was short and sweet, but his heart soared at the content sigh she let slip when they broke apart. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and said, “I’ve honestly never been better.”

 

His nose healed fairly quickly, thanks in part to Betty’s healing hands. But the feeling that hit him the moment he laid eyes on her, thankfully, never faded.

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
